Skip to content
The selfish North East criminals who were stopped in their tracks by brave victims
These selfish North East criminals were stopped in their tracks by brave victims
These selfish North East criminals were stopped in their tracks by brave victims.
Two of these criminals were stood up to by shop workers as they attempted to rob their premises. Christmas Day robber Andrew Savage was traced by his blood left at the scene after the victim picked up a metal shelf bracket from behind the till and struck out at him to protect himself.
While in another case a worker behind the till of a shop put up an “astonishing” fight, knocked a weapon out of Louis Crosby’s hand when he took the decision to rob a Premier store in desperation after losing his wedding savings in an online scam.
Another vile attacker was stopped by his teenage daughter as he attacked her mother. As the attack continued, the teenager begged “mummy please stay alive”.
These are the selfish North East criminals who were stopped in their tracks by brave victims.
Christmas Day robber Andrew Savage got more than he bargained for when his victim attacked him with a metal shelf bracket, drawing blood which led to the identification of the culprit.
The victim was working alone in a Best One shop around 7.30pm on December 25 when Savage came in and went towards the till area. The worker noticed he had a six-inch knife in one hand and heard him say something which sounded threatening.
The court heard that in order to protect himself, the victim picked up a metal shelf bracket from behind the till and struck out at him to protect himself and to try to get him out of the shop.
Savage, 50, of Ridley Street, Southwick, Sunderland, who has 102 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to robbery and having a bladed article and was jailed for four years with an extended licence period of a further two years. He was also given a restraining order.
Here’s the full story
(Image: Northumbria Police)Louis Crosby took the decision to rob a Premier store in desperation after losing his wedding savings in an online scam.
Within an hour of finding out all of his money had gone, the 25-year-old, who has no previous convictions, walked into the store with his hood up, face covered, sunglasses on, armed with a pistol and ordered “give me the money, I have a gun.”
But the store owner and the worker behind the till put up an “astonishing” fight, knocked the weapon out of his hand and kept him there until the police arrived. It turned out it was an unloaded air weapon which was incapable of firing but the workers did not know that.
Crosby, of Portobello Road, Sunderland, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, with rehabilitation requirements and a 12 month 7pm to 7am curfew.
Here’s the full story
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)A pensioner bravely “fought for his life” when armed raiders attacked him in his own home amid rumours he had come into £75,000.
The 70-year-old was cut with a knife and injured in a terrifying ordeal which has left him afraid to continue living in the flat he loved. Nathan Corner and two other men, who were still being hunted by police, ended up fleeing with just £10 in loose change after the robbery in South Shields.
Corner, 24, of Beach Road, South Shields, who has 14 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to robbery and having a bladed article and was jailed for seven-and-a-half years.
Here’s the full story
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)Daniel Rush choked his partner, held a knife to her throat, poured pop over her, punched and kicked her and told her he was going to kill her in her own home.
But when he said he was going to get her children, she bravely fought back, throwing a chair at his face and stopping him getting upstairs where the sleeping youngsters were.
Rush, 28, of Bracken Place in Fenham, who has 32 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assaulting two emergency workers after attacking police after his arrest, including spitting and headbutting them. He was jailed for a total of 18 months and given an indefinite restraining order by Recorder Mark Giuliani.
Here’s the full story
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)Jordan Dixon went into a small family store in South Shields brandishing a blade and left the owner injured when he courageously tried to “fight for his life”. He stole a bag containing more than £2,000 and other items before fleeing, leaving the victim injured.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Dixon went on to subject his partner to shocking violence after she decided to end their relationship.
The 28-year-old, of Thornhope Close, Barmston, Washington, pleaded guilty to robbery and GBH and was jailed for a total of five years and eight months. He was also given a ten years restraining order not to contact his ex.
Here’s the full story
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)A husband who made a determined effort to murder his wife was stabbed in the head by their teenage daughter as she desperately tried to bring the horrific attack to an end.
Nezam Ghalate hatched a plot to kill Shala Derakhshan after she had gone to sleep in the family home. They had argued about Ghalate smoking cannabis in front of youngsters.
The court heard how fearing the marriage was at an end, Ghalate threatened to kill himself. He had made such threats previously and this time Shala told him “well go on and kill yourself”. He took that remark badly and smoked more cannabis and drank alcohol and hatched a plot to kill her.
In the early hours of the morning, he armed himself with a knife from the kitchen and took some bedding to their room, where Shala was sleeping.
Shala’s screaming woke their 18-year-old daughter who was in the house and they entered the room and witnessed the brutal attack. Despite pleading for him to stop, he replied: “No, she doesn’t love me, I like to kill her, she makes me crazy.”
The court heard how the 18-year-old struck him with various objects to try to stop the attack and eventually had to resort to stabbing him in the head, causing serious injuries, in a desperate effort to save her mum. But Ghalate continued the attack, trying to smother his wife and banging her head off the floor as the teenager begged “mummy please stay alive”.
Ghalate, 53, of Ellison Villas, Gateshead, pleaded guilty attempted murder and was jailed for 20 years, of which he must serve two-thirds in custody.
Here’s the full story
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)No visitors were allowed due to Covid when Gemma Campbell and Audra Ames gained access to Porlock House, in Jarrow, in September 2020. The pair tried a number of doors and one of them got inside the room of an elderly man, who was pressured into handing over £40.
They were in the sheltered accommodation around an hour and a resident ended up pulling an emergency cord and reported there were intruders present. Campbell and Ames were then spotted outside stacking up stolen items next to a taxi.
Campbell and Ames pleaded guilty to burgling the dead man’s flat, stealing curtains and theft of the other items from the communal area.
Campbell, 38, of Downham Court, South Shields, who has 89 previous convictions, was sentenced to two years suspended for 18 months with a drug rehabilitation requirement and rehabilitation.
Ames, 51, of Stoddart Street, South Shields, who has 41 previous convictions, was sentenced to 16 months suspended for 18 months with 100 hours unpaid work and rehabilitation.
Here’s the full story
Jason Trueman was on licence from prison after serving a sentence for wounding – where he left his upstairs neighbour with a gaping wound to his chest following a slash attack – and living with his mother when the pair argued and he walked out.
A court heard that the 33-year-old “gravitated” towards the Hexham area, where he targeted two unlocked vehicles and a garden shed.
Trueman stole cash, gloves, baby wipes and a bag for life from one car before helping himself to tools, a sander and duct tape from another. However, the bungling crook was spotted by a brave resident on the street, who confronted and detained him as he damaged a garden shed in order to try and gain access, prosecutors said.
Police arrived and Trueman, of Claremont Road, in Spital Tongues, Newcastle, was arrested. Less than 36 hours later, he appeared in custody at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court to plead guilty to two counts of theft from a motor vehicle and one of criminal damage and was ordered to pay £200 compensation.
Here’s the full story
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)Jack Wearmouth had been arguing with his girlfriend outside her home in North Shields when he suddenly lashed out and stuck her to the face, a court heard. The woman’s shocked neighbour witnessed what was going on and went outside to shout at the 26-year-old to stop what he was doing, which he did, prosecutors said.
But Wearmouth was still arrested after the police were called and noticed that his knuckles were red and the victim had swelling and a lump behind her ear. She was taken to hospital but discharged herself before receiving treatment. She also quickly retracted the statement she had earlier given to officers about the attack.
But prosecutors continued with the case against Wearmouth, of Ridley Avenue, in Wallsend, based on the neighbour’s witness statement and he appeared at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court this week to plead guilty to assault by beating. He was fined £300 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £120 victim surcharge.
Here’s the full story
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
